The present invention relates to the capture and control of small animals, and, more particularly, to the capture of such small animal pests as rodents.
It seems that mouse and rat traps have been around forever, and it also seems that mousetraps are a favorite focus of inventors. There remains, nonetheless, one particularly popular type of trap that is inexpensive and relatively effective. The trap includes a spring-loaded arm or bar that is released by a trigger mechanism when a rodent activates it. The rodent is prompted into performing this otherwise ill-advised act by rodent bait that has been secured to the trigger. The act of the rodent eating the bait from the trigger springs the trap.
Although this type of trap is effective in capturing, and usually killing, the rodent, the captured rodent usually does not present a particularly attractive picture. Considering also the health risk posed by the need to dispose of the rodent and the trap, the successful capturing of a rodent with a trap probably is viewed by many homeowners as a mixed blessing.
There is a need, therefore, to provide a rodent trap that spares the user direct confirmation of a successful rodent trapping mission by blocking the view of the captured rodent. There is also a need to provide a trap system that permits disposal of the captured rodent without handling the rodent itself or any part of the mechanism that has come into contact with the rodent.
Of course, if the user does not wish to view the trapping mechanism directly for fear of viewing the captured rodent, the user may wish to have an indicator that communicates to the user that the trap has been sprung. Without an indicator, the user may continue to use a trap that has already been sprung, but that has not captured a rodent, or, probably worse, one that is storing a captured rodent. Each possibility has its drawbacks.
A trap system that blocks the captured rodent from view, that permits more sanitary disposal of a trapped rodent, and that provides an indication that the trap has been sprung is obviously most attractive to those who wish to divorce themselves as much as possible from the rodent trapping and disposal process. In those cases, it would be useful to provide a trapping system with a trapping mechanism that is preset and, possibly, pre-baited at the factory. Unfortunately, since the trapping mechanism is spring-loaded and triggered by a mechanical trigger, the trapping mechanism can be sprung inadvertently by the rigors of shipping. It would be helpful, therefore, to provide an obstructor that would hinder activation of the trap until the obstructor is disabled by the ultimate user.